Choosing targets at the tactical level is a routine task that military planners perform virtually every day. Given the length of the conflict in Syria, it is certain that targeting specialists at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the Combatant Command responsible for all U.S. military operations in Syria, and U.S. Navy Sixth Fleet, responsible for all military operations in the Mediterranean, have been choosing and refining target lists for quite some time. The ability of CENTCOM to decide which targets to hit, and the ability of U.S. Navy Sixth Fleet to accurately strike those targets with TLAM, has been validated in numerous real world operations. What has not been explicitly validated is the U.S. strategic purpose in attacking Syrian regime targets.

[…] If the U.S. is going to strike targets in Syria, it must do so with a clear understanding of what U.S. strategic interests are, how striking targets in Syria serves those interests, and what the long-term commitment would be to achieve specified objectives.